Tech Talk 11/2

Wondering what has been happening in the digital world lately? Here is a quick update on the up-and-coming trends and innovations occurring in tech.

New and Improved Facebook… Notifications?

The social giant recently rolled out an update on the notifications tab, making it, and you, the center of attention within the application. The expanded notifications tab essentially shows you friends’ life milestones, events you’ve joined, and a few details based on pages you’ve liked. Also, if you have Location History enabled, then you get to see events going on around you as well as weather updates, movies, and restaurants. The customization of the notifications tab allows users to arrange the “cards” in a hierarchical way based on their preferences. This grouping of notifications, also known as cards, gives the feed much-needed content with a slightly improved user experience.

Speaking of Facebook…

As part of Internet.org, Facebook’s initiative to bring Internet to people around world, they are now aiming to bring express Wi-Fi to India. Read more here.

Can you say “controversial Cyber Information Sharing Act” five times?

Security or privacy? That was the ultimate question thrown around the Senate this week when they passed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act on Tuesday. The bill allows companies to share evidence of cyberattacks with the US government without the fear of being slapped with a lawsuit in the chance that the information violates users’ privacy. Pro? CISA makes it easier for the government to coordinate threat information and responses across the companies and organizations that need it. Con? This could potentially be a privacy issue because the government would have more access to citizens’ private information. Since CISA allows companies to share information directly with law enforcement and intelligence organization, leading tech companies are concerned that this information can include email, text messages and other data that can identify individuals.

Delivery Drones

For the past several months, Walmart has been conducting indoor tests of small unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones. And they are currently seeking to test the machines outdoors. Commercial drone use is currently illegal, though companies can apply for exemptions. The retail giant applied Monday for permission from U.S. regulators to test drones for home delivery, curbside pickup, and checking warehouse inventories. This would place Walmart as a direct competitor against Amazon. The move comes as Amazon, Google, and other companies test drones in the expectation that the FAA will soon establish rules for their widespread commercial use.

“Speed Modifiers”

In other news, Snapchat’s latest feature allows users to speed and rewind filters to their videos. Just swipe sideways after shooting a video and you’ll eventually see them applied to your snap.